# How about dogs?

By [Kilo](https://paragraph.com/@kilo-2) · 2023-06-27

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The **dog** (**_Canis familiaris_**[\[4\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dog#cite_note-Alvares2019-4)[\[5\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dog#cite_note-FOOTNOTEWangTedford20081-5) or **_Canis lupus familiaris_**[\[5\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dog#cite_note-FOOTNOTEWangTedford20081-5)) is a [domesticated](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domesticated) descendant of the [wolf](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolf). Also called the **domestic dog**, it is [derived](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domestication_of_the_dog) from extinct [Pleistocene wolves](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pleistocene_wolf),[\[6\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dog#cite_note-Bergstr%C3%B6m2020-6)[\[7\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dog#cite_note-Frantz2020-7) and the modern wolf is the dog's nearest living relative.[\[8\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dog#cite_note-freedman2017-8) Dogs were the first [species](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Species) to be domesticated[\[9\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dog#cite_note-larson2014-9)[\[8\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dog#cite_note-freedman2017-8) by [hunter-gatherers](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hunter-gatherer) over 15,000 years ago[\[7\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dog#cite_note-Frantz2020-7) before the development of agriculture.[\[1\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dog#cite_note-Thalmann2018-1) Due to their long association with humans, dogs have expanded to a large number of domestic individuals[\[10\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dog#cite_note-Ostrander2019-10) and gained the ability to thrive on a [starch](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starch)\-rich diet that would be inadequate for other [canids](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canidae).[\[11\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dog#cite_note-axelssonetal2013-11)

The dog has been [selectively bred](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selectively_bred) over millennia for various behaviors, sensory capabilities, and physical attributes.[\[12\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dog#cite_note-ADW-12) [Dog breeds](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dog_breed) vary widely in shape, size, and color. They perform many roles for humans, such as [hunting](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hunting_dog), [herding](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herding_dog), [pulling loads](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sled_dog), [protection](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guard_dog), [assisting police](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Police_dog) and the [military](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dogs_in_warfare), [companionship](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pet), [therapy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Therapy_dog), and [aiding disabled people](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Service_dog). Over the millennia, dogs became uniquely adapted to human behavior, and the [human–canine bond](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human%E2%80%93canine_bond) has been a topic of frequent study.[\[13\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dog#cite_note-berns2012-13) This influence on human society has given them the [sobriquet](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sobriquet) of "[man's best friend](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man%27s_best_friend)".[\[14\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dog#cite_note-Derr-14)

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*Originally published on [Kilo](https://paragraph.com/@kilo-2/how-about-dogs)*